the gift
by Storiesinmymind12
Summary: Emily receives the best Christmas gift even though Damon and her are in different places for Christmas they are dating Emily never got pregnant in this story and went to the Olympics
1. Chapter 1

She flopped down, after an hour of cleaning the house around to have family over for Christmas. She hadn't been able to focus on the holidays in four years, due to intense training for the Olympics and now, almost a year following her big win, she was able to soak the holiday fun in. When her mother, Chloe, was conflicted on what they should do for Christmas, it hadn't taken much for Emily to suggest having it at new townhouse . It would be so much fun she said, and Damon could come over.

But that was three months ago, before she even discussed what their plans would be for the holidays and Damon apologetically declined, saying that him and a bunch of his band mates had chipped in together to rent a house for a week in the mountains for skiing and snowboarding . He asked her repeatedly, "please babe. It would be so fun."

But Emily was a woman of her word, and said no. She had promised her family she would host for the holidays and she wasn't going to let them down.

Running around finishing the course meal, she was regretting her decision. It would have been so special to celebrate their first Christmas together as a couple without her training , seeing that it was hard enough not seeing each other on a regular basis.

It wasn't like her to mope around. She rarely did. After all, she had so much to be grateful for. 2012 was for sure her best year. She had done something most people can only dream of: achieving an Olympic gold medal for the team event, uneven bars and all around. And she won a Grammy soon after with her duet with Damon, while performing for Stars of gymnastics. And on top of that, she won the athletics of the Year award. She was America's sweetheart, something she worked hard for. But one of the best things was her biggest supporter and her boyfriend, Damon Young . Too bad he wasn't with her.

Emily sighed, getting up from the breakfast bar to pull out the turkey. Damon loves turkey, she thought, trying to ignore the sad part of her heart.

The sudden buzz of her phone snapped her out of her thoughts, as she placed the turkey down on the counter and hurried towards her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Emily, honey," her mother's voice chirped through the phone. "I'm sorry to let you know so late, but your brother and I will be a bit late for dinner. We had a little food disaster and now we have to remake the food."

Oh, that's okay," she sighed, plopping down on the couch. "I'll just busy myself with something to do while you're fixing the food."

"Sorry sweetie. Try calling Damon to see how he is," she suggested. "I'll see you soon though. Love you."

"Love you," she echoed back, staring at her phone as the call ended. Groaning, she leaned back into the couch, sinking in and grabbing a red checkered blanket to cover herself. 'Now what?' she asked herself.

Scanning the room to find the remote to turn on the tv for background noise, she felt a buzz vibrate through the couch.

She glanced down at her phone, a smile growing from ear to ear.

 _Damon: You busy? I miss you. Can you talk for a few?_

She quickly unlocked her phone to dial his number that she had trained in her head.

"Hey you," his smooth voice greeted her. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Damon," she said softly. "I miss you." She toyed with the fringe on her blanket, trying to get a grip and not be over emotional over the fact that her boyfriend wasn't going to be around for their first holiday together.

Even miles away, Damon immediately picked up on her emotions. "Hey now, don't be like that babe. I'm really sorry I couldn't be with you today," he gently said. "But you'll have so much fun being able to relax and not have to be stressed for once.

She let out a steady laugh, breathing heavily. "I know… But now my mom and Brian are going to be late and I'm alone and this isn't fun." She didn't want to come out and say that she really wished he was with her though. It would have seemed selfish of her to want him to be with her when he had made plans before knowing she was going to be hosting dinner.

"But I'll see you soon enough," he promised. His attention suddenly seemed to be anywhere but on Emily, as he spoke quickly into the phone. "I've got to go, but I'll call you again tonight after your dinner. Love you Mustang," and with that, he hung up the phone leaving her alone in her living room.

What a crummy way to start Christmas dinner, she thought bitterly, as tears began to puddle in her eyes against her will. Turning off the tv, she threw the blanket off of her and walked to her room to get dressed and ready for dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

Half an hour later, her doorbell rang and she opened it to find her mom and Brian smiling at her, despite the freezing cold. In truth, it would still be a lovely dinner because they hadn't had the chance to be a normal family celebrating the holiday in years due to her intense training schedule.

Stepping in from the cold, trying to defrost, Chloe wrapped her in a hug, at the same time trying not to crush the food in her hands. "Sorry we're so late honey. I dropped the stuffed red peppers and I had to defrost the left over that I had in the freezer so I wouldn't show up without part of the main course," she laughed apologetically.

"No worries," Emily replied, taking the food out of her mother's hands, motioning the rest of the pack to follow her in. She pulled off the lid, relishing in the scent of the home cooked food.

"It's been ages since I've had this," she breathed in, closing her eyes. "God, I can't wait to stuff my face."

"Emily," her brother interrupted. "I forgot the dessert in the car. Will you get it?"

"Can't you do it?" she questioned, , who was making himself quite comfortable on the couch.

"Uh, I gotta go to the bathroom, sorry!" he said, suddenly dashing to the bathroom. She narrowed her eyes at her mom. For someone who wanted to be in the holiday mood, she certainly was feeling like the Grinch. She slipped on her coat and shoes and unlocked the door. "In the backseat or the trunk?" she called to her mom.

"The trunk"

It was freezing out, and she should have put on her winter coat, she realized, as she covered herself with her arms to protect herself from the wind. As she approached the car, she suddenly stopped in her tracks at a loss for words.

"What the…?" she stared, unable to move, as Damon hopped out of the Kmetko's backseat, grinning.

"You wouldn't really think I wouldn't try to at least see you for Christmas, now would you?" he asked,. Walking up to her, he swept her in his arm, cradling the back of her head. "I missed you so much my mustang," he murmured.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, relishing in his touch. "I missed you more my rockstar," she responded. She kissed his cheeks, despite her lips beginning to freeze, from being outside in the cold.

"Come on," she waved, grabbing his hand unconsciously. Elated with happiness, she felt foolish suddenly. It didn't matter if Damon had been able to come or not. She was going to be with family. That's what truly mattered. But the sweetest thing of all was that her family did everything they could, to make her happy.

She opened the door to find Brian and her mom grinning from ear to ear, with her mom holding up his phone, clearly taking pictures of the happy couple.

"Thank you," she said sheepishly. "I really love you guys."

"Yea, yea," Brian said, a devilish look in his eyes. He suddenly appeared beside Damon and Emily holding up a mistletoe. "Now, be cute so Mom can get a picture to send to the Keller's and I can stop hearing her complain about how she doesn't have one please."

Flustered, she turned to her mother in disbelief. "Really, mom?"

"Hey!" Chloe protested. "Kim Keeler has pictures of Payson and Nicky. I want some cute pictures to show off too!"

About to respond, Emily opened her mouth, only to squeal in surprise as Damon spun her around and dipped her, just like they had done months before, only this time, a bit less graceful. She laughed, as she saw out of the corner of her eye her mom lifting his camera to capture the moment.

Grabbing the back of his neck with her hands, she ran her fingers through his hair and she gazed at him with love pouring out of her heart.

"Merry Christmas Mustang," Damon said softly, the two suddenly in their own world as they stared at each other lovingly. He gently leaned in, feeling a smile forming against his lips. She relished in the taste of his lips, knowing they would have let go of each other in a matter of seconds. After one smaller kiss, he flipped her back up to a standing position, only for her to attach herself back to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. If this was her Christmas gift, she couldn't have asked Santa for anything better.


End file.
